Covered Bridges and Wine: A Fall Day in the Valley

Ashtabula County, one county east of us, holds nineteen covered bridges, including the Smolen-Gulf Bridge, the longest covered bridge in the United States. Every October, the second weekend belongs to the county's Covered Bridge Festival. Pair the bridges with the Grand River Valley's tasting rooms and you have the best fall day this corner of Ohio offers.

The shape of the day

Drive the bridges in the morning while the light is low and the crowds are thin: the routes wind through exactly the kind of back roads fall color was made for. Work back west through the valley in the afternoon: more than thirty wineries sit within the region, most of them small family rooms a short drive apart. End on the shoreline in Madison, which is open Wednesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner and the dining room's fireplace earns its keep from October on.

Stay the night instead of driving home

Fall is what the inn was built for: eight adults-only rooms above the restaurant, most facing the lake, with breakfast cooked to order before you head back out to the bridges you missed. Rooms are at the inn page, and the bridges, beaches and trails we send guests to are mapped at things to do nearby.

Festival weekend fills the county: if you are aiming for the second weekend of October, book the room before you plan the route.